The past two days I have been shadowing perdiatric OTs at Vanderbilt to get a feel of what it's like to work in pediatrics compared to geriatrics and to see what OTs actually do particularly in a hospital setting. Some things that I have seen that I really like are:
1. OTs here wear scrubs!! This is exciting for me because I don't really like to dress up and I thought that they might wear slacks and flats with a blouse which really isn't my style. I prefer comfort over cute.
2. It's a very goal-based career. Basically, the OT sets goals with the child and parents for every 3 months or so. Those are the goals that the OT works on for the 3 months following making them. After those 3 months, the goals are evaluated and either will continue to be worked on or will be checked off as accomplished. From talking with different staff members, it seems like there are normally 3-4 goals that are made for each time frame.
3. The one-on-one work. I definitely prefer to work one-on-one or in small groups with people rather than in large groups and OT definitely does that. So far, I have only shadowed in 1-on-1 groups and I'm fairly sure that's all they do here since each patient is working on specific goals.
4. The is such a variety in the work that the OTs do. I've witnessed casting sessions, sessions that focused on strengthening muscles, working on fine motor skills, sensory, ADL (activities of daily living), balance and coordination. Also, every patient is different. They have various diagnoses, a variety of cognitive abilities and each parent interaction is different which is something that I will enjoy. Also, as an OT, if you get bored with a specific area of the work or don't feel that it's your strong suit, you can focus on something else.
5. They get to be active with their patients! This is one of my favorite things about the career! I am a restless person and don't like to be coped up at a desk all day. As an OT, I would get to be out in a session for an hour or two, then come back to my desk and make notes for a little while.
6. Also, the scheduling seems to be semi-flexible which can be important in the case of emergencies although I rarely to never miss work.
7. It's a very practical career where the results are clear. That's important for me because when I see that a patient is making progress, I will feel that we as a team have done something worthwhile. Being able to check goals off will be just as if not more exciting for me as it will be for the patient knowing that my tactics are being effective and that the patient is gaining a better quality of life and is able to become more independent.
8. As far as the benefits of working with kids compared to other patient populations, children games and activities can be more exciting and the kids are more likely to comply and get excited about the activities from what I have seen so far. They seem to be more motivated to accomplish the goals because they are still really hopeful about their future whereas in the nursing home setting, I think that not complying or not trying could be a problem because the patients have lost hope that their health is going to improve.
That's all I can think of at the moment. If any more things come to mind, I will be sure to add them.
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